Metropolitan Bishop
Metropolitan Zinovy, in the world Zachary Ioakimovich Mazhuga, was born on September 14, 1898, in the city of Glukhov. Having lost his parents early, he was raised by relatives and showed a love for God from a young age. At the age of 16, he entered the Glinskaya Hermitage as a novice, where he began his spiritual life. His obediences were difficult, but he prayed earnestly and sought humility.
During World War I, he was drafted into military service, but, thanks to prayers, he served in a convoy company and did not participate in combat. After demobilization, he returned to the Glinskaya Hermitage, where in 1917 he was tonsured into monasticism with the name Zinovy.
In 1922, the hermitage was closed, and he moved to Georgia, where he was ordained as a hierodeacon and then as a hieromonk. He served in various churches, enduring persecutions and hardships. In 1936, he was arrested, but by God's mercy, he avoided a severe fate, ending up in the Urals.
After his release in 1945, he continued his ministry in Georgia, where he was respected and loved by the faithful. In 1956, he was consecrated as a bishop, and in 1972 he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan. In his last years, he suffered from illness but continued to pray and serve.
He passed away on March 8, 1985, and his funeral was led by Patriarch Ilia II. In 2009, he was canonized among the locally venerated saints, and in 2017, the Russian Orthodox Church decided on his church-wide glorification, establishing the date of remembrance as September 22.
